what better way to get together with old friends for something that never fails to interest us guys. yep, saturday morning was spent at the rsaf open house over at paya lebar airbase. despite the extremes of the weather that sun burnt us like crap and later drenched everyone, we had a great time altogether checking out what the whole place had to offer. too bad we missed the aerial displays, if not they would have been awesome shots to capture. nonetheless, congrats to the rsaf on its 40th anniversary!

album will be up shortly. check back for updates! :D

today's shoot at lower pierce reservoir turned out to be more productive than planned. i must say that im pleased with the end results, though a little more knowledge on tone mapping would be able enhance the pics a great deal. unlike the previous places that i went to, lower pierce reservoir offered great tranquility, stillness and peace, which one can nicely retreat to from the fast paced lifestyle. and its moments like these that truely make me appreciate photography so much more, as if it wasn't for it, i'd probably never knew such places of beauty exist just at our backyard.

wednesday's paper went pretty smoothly, thanks to all of your prayers that accompanied me through the hectic period! now that exams have concluded, a little more time to catch up on other things. photography licentiateship submission is due on sunday, hence i foresee the remaining days will probably be spent with the camera and i, as we continue our search for more unique and interesting locations to shoot at! unfortunately, the weather hasn't been too kind and ideas are running out...

currently doing some studying and experimenting on high dynamic range merging, tone mapping and all that junk in photoshop. could use a little help there if anyone might be familiar with such! the following were the outcomes from the 1st attempt of processing. hmm... far from desired results, but still a huge learning experience gained. hope they'll get better with more trial and error and experience over time. :D

pictures shoot at labrador park (beach) during sunset.


any opinions? (:

a visit to punggol beach this evening in an attempt to get some shooting done for an assignment brought out the creeps in me after i realised what the exact site was previously used for. with all due respect, i offered my prayers for the innocent victims who lost their lives during the massacres which took place on the same ground 65 years ago.

Punggol Beach is a far cry from the fun-filled beach holiday, with stretches of sand dotted with beach umbrellas and food outlets that ensure a perfect beach getaway for the entire family. Rather, Punggol Beach has a lot to do with the history of Singapore. It has a historical significance that no other beaches in Singapore can boast of.

Punggol Beach is witness to the grisly days of World War II. During those traumatic days, Punggol Beach was used as the Japanese killing fields. It is owing to this gruesome history that Punggol Beach is often touted as the slaughter beach. There, thousands of chinese men were tied up and executed during the Sook Ching operation, some of whose remains were only stumbled across recently and dug up.

Punggol Beach, as it stands today is a tidied up beach that is almost abandoned. It is the most rarely visited beaches in Singapore and the reason can be attributed to its inaccessibility and to the fact that many still don't know that this beach actually exists.


reference: http://www.worldtravel4indians.com/singapore/beaches-in-singapore/punggol-beach.html

first attempt in shooting fireworks at the singapore fireworks festival held over the weekends. finding our way to the top of the ecp flyover, setting up the equipment in the rain, and waiting for the right moment was an interesting adventure by itself. unfortunately, the shots weren't exactly pleasing, due to the rain and wet lens that ruined majority of the pics. not the mention, the smoke was way excessive. :(

hopefully it will get better next time round.

album will be up shortly. check back for updates! :D

all good things must come to an end. and likewise, my days in fmssrcy drew to a close last evening.

fmssrcy has been more than a unit to all of us. it is a family that is made up of people who share a common love for the fellowship and one another, thereby striving for the very best for the tiny but vibrant community.

fairfield redcross has literally been a part of me for half my life (1998-2008), and letting all that go can never be anywhere near easy. especially when the hardest times i cried and laugh, the people who supported me through the most difficult times of my life, the learning experiences which challenged and groomed me to become who i am today, and the only closest friends i have all these years, came from within.

while there is much hesitation inside to go, it is good that i try to put certain things behind and move on. it is not something that i want, but what life demands. and it is about time it did.

nonetheless, i am so proud of each and everyone who has journeyed with me this far. for the sec4s and 5s being so pleasant to work with. the sec 3s for constantly impressing and surprising me with their capabilities week after week. the sec2s for being such true heroes to the juniors by overcoming so many obstacles put to them. the sec1s for having so much leadership potential and being so enthusiastic at everything. and not forgetting the vis and seniors for their never failing support and passion.

truely, ive been so fortunate to have been able to grow up with, have fun with, and become friends with all of them.

besides, im glad that ive finally found a successor whom i can count on to perform better than myself and take the unit to greater heights, perhaps with even more passion. fmssrcy, will be in good hands now. (:

until there comes a chance for us to meet again, i will keep all of you in my prayers, and i pray for you my friend that you will continue striving for the very best in all that you do. and may the good lord watch over you and keep you safe always.

thanks for all the pretty and unforgettable memories. i will never forget you all!

maybe... i will be back when the time is right. (:

exam period's over and everyone's rejoicing but unfortunately, not for me just yet. reason being, a relapse of the stomach pains that caused me to be warded about a year ago, occured and confined me to the bed for the last two days, thus missing out yesterday's paper. sheesh, of all times to fall sick, seriously sick... :(

now, im just waiting... having no idea when the retest will be. hopefully as soon as possible, to get over and done with. then its no more mugging for the next 3 yrs or so. rocks!

in the meanwhile, time to get busy with more generals and tiberium wars. :D

just a short story that keeps me going through life's ups and downs... well, maybe for the downs mostly.

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions!

One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky. He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost. He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, 'God! How could you do this to me?'

Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island! It had come to rescue him! 'How did you know I was here?' asked the weary man of his rescuers. 'We saw your smoke signal,' they replied.

The Moral of This Story:

It's easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of our pain and suffering. Remember that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground. It just may be a smoke signal that summons the Grace of God!

the past few days spent on pulau ubin for the biennial national camp turned out to be pretty rewarding and eventful. with some others, we functioned as first aiders and medical personnel for the 4d3n camp over at npcc campsite. stationed at the medical post for majority of the time, our duties landed us up in treating casualties, attending to in-patients and their needs, assisting the doc, settling admin, and etc. amusingly enough, that brought out the 'nurse' in many of us. though far off from a professionally trained one, it was no doubt an unique and good learning experience then. hahaha.

as each casualty and patient, especially those warded overnight recovered and got discharged, the feelings that overcame us were somewhat of much joy and satisfaction. probably, which also served well as a source of motivation for all of us, having to face the demands of our roles. now it got me thinking... if i should pursue a nursing career. hahaha. you never know. :p

apart from our duties, opportunities to gain fully from the camp was plentiful. as always, it was a great time catching up with the other vis and not surprisingly, many of the syf participants were also present. other than that, time allowed a little photography here and there... just what i needed, after a long while of my baby collecting dust.

a frame tents which campers slept in

lots of monkeying around

team building activities

archery

kayaking

rock climbing

flags of various UGs

our medical post

rcy instructors heading to ubin

medical team with dr chung

denise!

check out www.flickr.com/leonardlms/sets for complete album